Damn - Gunman Kills Pastor in Illinois Church
Just when the gun law changes seem to getting traction in this state, here comes another potential setback.
By JIM SUHR, AP
posted: 3 HOURS 29 MINUTES AGOcomments: 1129filed under: Crime News, National NewsPrintShareText SizeAAAMARYVILLE, Ill.
(March 8) -- A gunman walked down the aisle of a church during a Sunday service and killed the pastor, then stabbed himself and slashed two other people as congregants wrestled him to the ground, authorities said.
The man walked into the sprawling red brick First Baptist Church shortly after 8 a.m. and briefly spoke with The Rev. Fred Winters before pulling out a .45-caliber handgun and shooting Winters once in the chest, said Illinois State Police Master Trooper Ralph Timmins.
Churchgoers comfort one another Sunday morning outside First Baptist Church in Maryville, Ill. During the service, a gunman opened fire, killing the pastor. Police said the man pulled out a knife and stabbed himself when the gun jammed. Two people who tackled the suspect were also slashed.(Note: Please disable your pop-up blocker)
The gun jammed before the man could fire again, Timmins said. The attacker then pulled out a knife and injured himself before churchgoers subdued him. Two parishioners involved in the struggle also suffered knife wounds, Timmins said.
Witness Claudia Bohley told CNN affiliate KSDK she was in the church's foyer waiting for the service to begin when she heard "pop, pop, pop. ... We just couldn't imagine what had happened."
According to an account by CNN, Bohley said she ran into the sanctuary and saw what looked like paper scattered on the pulpit. She said she was later told that the bullet hit Winters' Bible. "It was like confetti. It went everywhere," she said. "People were down on their knees and on the floor, screaming and praying."
Timmins said officials don't know whether Winters, a married father of two who had led the church for nearly 22 years, and the gunman knew each other. Officials did not know the suspect's name.
"We don't know the relationship (between the gunman and pastor), why he's here or what the circumstances came about that caused him in the first place to be here," Timmins said.
The Rev. Mark Jones, another pastor at First Baptist, said he did not recognize the gunman, who he saw briefly before the man pulled out his weapon. Jones went into an adjacent room and did not see the shooting, though he heard a sound like miniature fire crackers.